How to Create & Print ISBN Book Barcodes

The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) system
is utilized to automate ordering and inventory systems for book publishers,
distributors and retailers. It is also utilized for the monitoring of sales
data in the publishing industry. This tutorial will guide you step-by-step
through the process of creating an ISBN barcode for a book. The ISBN
code created in this tutorial is also identical to the EAN "Bookland"
barcode.

Step 1: Obtain the ISBN Number

Before making an ISBN barcode, the user must first
apply for an ISBN number. This number should be 10 or 13 digits,
for example 0-9767736-6-X or
978-0-9767736-6-5. Once the ISBN number
is obtained, it should be displayed above the barcode on the book.
All books published after January 1, 2007 must display the number
in the new 13-digit format, which is referred to as ISBN-13. Older
10 digit numbers may be converted to 13 digits with the
free ISBN conversion
tool.

The last digit of the ISBN number is always a MOD 11 checksum character,
represented as numbers 0 through 10. When the check character is equal
to 10, the Roman numeral X is used to keep the same amount of digits
in the number. Therefore, the ISBN of 0-9767736-6-X is actually 0-9767736-6
with a check digit of 10. The ISBN check digit is never encoded in the
barcode.

Step 2: Products Needed to Generate
ISBN Barcode

To make an ISBN barcode as required by the ISBN, products are needed
to generate an EAN13 barcode and the OCR-A representation of the ISBN
number, which appears above the EAN13 barcode. In this tutorial, the
Barcode Image Generator
and OCR Font Package
are used to create the barcode and can be purchased together in a specially
priced
ISBN
Barcode Package.

Step 3: Create an ISBN Barcode
Image for the Book

The
complete 13-digit ISBN number is to be displayed on the book, above
the ISBN barcode, in the IDAutomationOCRa font, which is part
of the OCR Font Package.

The ISBN-13 barcode that appears below the ISBN number is created
by encoding an EAN13 barcode type directly with the first 12 digits
of the ISBN-13 number as shown in Fig 1. The ISBN-10
barcode is formed by appending the first 9 digits of the ISBN number
to 978*.

For example, an ISBN number of 0-9767736-6-X would be encoded
in EAN-13 as 978097677366. After agencies
run out of numbers allocated to the 978 prefix, they will begin using
EAN13 barcodes preceded by 979.

When the ISBN number is encoded in the EAN-13 barcode, it is often
called a Bookland barcode. A Supplemental 5-digit add-on barcode is
optional and can contain the price of the book or periodical. The price
is encoded by appending a 4-digit number to the currency number - use
0 for the British Pound and 5 for the U.S. Dollar. For example, if the
book sells for 10.50 in USD, encode 51050 in the 5-digit add-on. A supplemental
code of 90000 indicates that the book has no suggested retail price.
Supplemental numbers in the range 90001 to 98999 may be used by publishers
for internal purposes. Complimentary copies of books are marked 99991.
The National Association of College Stores
uses 99990 to mark used books.

Fig 1.Encoding ISBN-10
and ISBN-13 numbers in the EAN-13 barcode.

ISBN Type

ISBN Number*

Data to Encode

EAN-13 Barcode Result

ISBN-10

0-9767736-6-X

97809767736

ISBN-13

978-0-9767736-6-5

97809767736

* The last digit of the ISBN number is always a check digit and is never
encoded in the barcode. After encoding the 12 digit number (13
digit ISBN minus the check digit) in the EAN-13 barcode, a new EAN13
check digit is generated for the barcode symbol only.

The step-by-step process to create an ISBN barcode is as follows:

Open the Image Generator. In the Barcode Properties tab,
enter the first 12 digits of the ISBN number and the number 5 plus
the price of the book. The last digit of the ISBN number is a check
digit; which is not encoded in the barcode.For example: 97809767736651050Choose 1.80 for the Bar Height and .050 for the X dimension.
Choose EAN13 for the Symbology.

In the Text & Color Properties tab, click the set button
for the Human Readable Text Font and choose IDAutomationOCRb at
9 points:

In the Caption Properties tab, click the set button for
the Upper Caption Font and choose IDAutomationOCRa at 9 points:

In the Upper Caption text box on the Caption Properties
tab, enter the assigned ISBN number (with dashes) preceded with
the text "ISBN". While this tutorial implements a 10-digit ISBN
number, all books published after January 1, 2007 should display
the ISBN in the new 13 digit format. Existing 10-digit numbers may
be converted with the
Free ISBN Conversion
Tool. When using a 13-digit number, the upper caption would
be ISBN 978-0-9767736-6-5.

In the Image Properties tab, choose the resolution of the image
(if unsure, select 300) and select Bitmap for the image type.

Choose Generate Image File and save the image to the hard drive.
This image is now ready to be imported and placed in the book's
graphics or printed as a label. If it is desired to create multiple
ISBN labels, this same process may be used with
IDAutomation's
Barcode Label Software.

Reading and Testing Barcodes

When the EAN-13 barcode of the ISBN is read, the data scanned should
equal the numbers printed below the barcode on the book. For example,
the barcode generated in Fig 1 would scan as 9780976773665.

A common method of
reading and testing barcodes is with a hand-held
barcode scanner.
Most of the barcode scanners recommended by IDAutomation perform keyboard
emulation and receive power from the USB port, so that no external power
supply is required. When a barcode is scanned using keyboard emulation,
the data read appears at the cursor as if it had been typed in from
the keyboard. Most barcode scanners have the ability to read ISBN and
Bookland barcodes by default, such as the hand-held
IDAutomation
USB Barcode Scanner.